Polished Gems 1: A Fated Meeting
by Slasher9485
Summary: A young mercenary named Tourmaline is about to go on a mission that will change his view of the world forever. The only question is it for the better, or for worse? (Edit: Cleaned up the story a bit. Nothing major, just some grammar and word choices fixed).


Polished Stones

Story #1: A Fated Meeting

There are two people in this world, those who care for others and those who are selfish. The selfish live longer and have only themselves to worry about, so it seems good to be selfish. Yet, it leaves a feeling of emptiness inside you. Unlike the ones who care, who feel like they have a purpose, that they can find solace in others. Those people choose to intentionally make their lives harder by assisting others and showing compassion for them, yet they always smile more than the selfish ones. Each side has it's ups and downs, so it's easy to just want one or the other. This vacillating feeling exists in the hearts of many, but not Tourmaline. When a soul is pushed to the limit and has never known true compassion, they lose the desire to care for others and do whatever they feel is necessary for survival. His life isn't an easy one, but it's a path that he chose and a path that he claims to stay true to till the day he dies. However, fate always finds a way to make a man sway.

It was a night like all others, the land covered in a black sheet as the gibbous moon and glistening stars supply a moderate amount of light for the beasts and men that gaze upon their brilliance. Though such views of beauty no longer affected Tourmaline, the constellations, the phases of the moon, all have grown as dull as a worn blade. Plus he had no time to star gaze, as he had a more important objective this night; to infiltrate the towns temple and steal an ancient relic. His contractor would pay him handsomely and it would allow him to take a small break before his next job.

"Seems to be an easy catch, huh Tourmaline?" A shadowy figure said, approaching Tourmaline from behind.

From the shadows of the forest, a tall lanky man appeared from the forest. His stern look on his face was complimented by his threatening walk. He looked down upon Tourmaline and simply stared at him, their eye's locking in a near eternal staring contest.

"To what do I owe the pleasure Topaz?" Tourmaline grimly replied.

The tall lanky figure approached the young and lean boy, brushing his long white hair away from his eye. He stared down at the grimacing teen, his dead green eyes staring directly into his muddy red eyes. He cracked a grin and crouched down next to Tourmaline.

"Just came to see if you could handle this on your own? Maybe could use your trusty partner to make this quick." Topaz said.

"Thanks for the offer but I can handle this on my own. Plus I don't feel like splitting the money." Tourmaline said.

"My, aren't we selfish?"

"What's so selfish about wanting a break, I've been on jobs for far too long. I need a rest. So after this, I'm going to take a break." Tourmaline declared.

Topaz looked at Tourmaline, somewhat surprised.

"Whaaaat? I thought you enjoyed this job. Why else do you have so many jobs?" He asked.

"You know that I only do this job because it's easy." Tourmaline said.

"Yeah, thanks to me." Topaz responded smugly.

"I barely ever ask for your help. You just show up to my missions and start killing people left and right. Most of my pay has to pay off the collateral damage you cause." Tourmaline shot back in an irritated tone.

"Heh heh, but it sure is fun to go wild every once and a while." Topaz said.

"I somewhat agree with you but the issue is that you don't do it once in a while. In fact you only take it easy every once and a while." Tourmaline said.

"Well I can't disagree with that."

Tourmaline rose up and started his way towards the town. The small town, surrounded by pine trees and snow was dead. No lights to be seen except for the ones twinkling in the heavens. Beyond this town was the temple he had to infiltrate.

"Leaving without a goodbye?" Topaz asked.

"I've wasted enough time here. Go do whatever Topaz, but stay out of my business this time." Tourmaline said.

"Oh come on, don't be like that. You might need me just yet. After all the temple guardian is quite a handful." Topaz said.

"I can handle whatever comes my way. Besides I don't have to fight him." Topaz responded, with a bored tone in his voice.

"I never said it was a he." Topaz said.

Tourmaline stopped. He let out a sigh and realized how much more complicated the mission could get now.

"Figures, I had to deal with some girl before I could get my rest." Tourmaline replied solemnly.

"Your Achilles heel. Though I will never understand why." Topaz said, his grin turning into a mild frown.

"It's just harder to kill women than men. So many other factors come into effect with them." Tourmaline said, trying to justify himself.

"Do you think that gives you some form of moral high ground?" Topaz asked.

"And who are you to lecture me on morals." Tourmaline replied.

"Once again, no argument. But I thought I taught you this; we are mercenaries, assassins. We kill for a quick buck and make other's lives miserable for our next meal. Our job isn't a kind one, but it benefits us, so things like a conscience can be detrimental to how we do our jobs. We cast aside our morals and strive to be what we are as a species: living weapons." Topaz explained, his two gems glistening in the moonlight.

Tourmaline just stood there, gazing at his pseudo mentor. He wanted to say that he was wrong, but it just made sense. They were crystal gems, the truest thing to them was their weapons, concealed in the stones embedded in their bodies. To deny his words is to deny his own purpose. As much as he wanted to say he was wrong, the young gem could only muster a "I know...but we still have emotions and thoughts."

"That is simply what separates us from the beasts we kill. It's survival of the fittest, we learn from our mistakes and better ourselves." Topaz elaborated.

"We just look back at our past-" Topaz's sentence was cut short by a sharp glare from Tourmaline, fury quickly building in his eyes.

"Oops, I said the "p" word again! I guess you're the exception here. You ignore your past mistakes and simply move on, never dawdling, never staying still, you just soldier on and for that you have my respect." Topaz admitted.

Before Tourmaline could say his response, Topaz got up and walked the opposite way, head for whatever his current home was.

"I'll let you handle this on your own. No surprises, no swooping in and messing things up a bit. It's all yours my friend." Topaz says, "Oh and remember, your rage is what will keep you on the path of the mercenary, keep that in mind when fighting the girl at the temple. She is far more skilled than she appears."

With that, Topaz leaped into the shadows of the forest, evaporating into darkness. Tourmaline grit his teeth and moved on to the town's temple.

"I need to find a way to get away from him." He thought to himself.

The inner walls of the sanctuary were quiet, the lights of the candles flickered and casted a plethora of shadows against the columns and walls. Ruby sat down and stared at the ceiling.

"Why do I have to do this?" Ruby thought to herself, "Barely anything ever happens around here, so why put me on guard duty?"

Ruby was a young girl, vibrant and full of life. She stroked her long red hair and shifted her eyes to a flickering candle.

"I understand the relic needs to be kept under wraps, but really? What are the odds that something will happen to it?" She thought to herself.

Suddenly, she heard a creak from above. Someone or something was on the roof. She quickly sprung up, ready to take care of whatever was trying to come in.

"I had to complain. Even in my head, the universe is still listening to prove me wrong." She thought to herself.

The creaking noise soon left the roof. Curious, she moved towards one of the temple's windows to see if whatever was up there dropped to the courtyard outside. She looked into the darkness, and found nothing.

"You're way too jumpy right now Ruby. Guess you want some action so bad you are imagining things." She contemplated.

But before she could get back to waiting around with her thoughts, she heard a window open and saw a shadow move into the temple.

"Erm. Halt! Who goes there?!" Ruby shouted.

"Really? That's what you're threatening line is?" She heard a male voice say, "That has to be the laziest line I've ever heard.".

"At least my lines are better than your stealth, so why don't you come out and say that to my face?" Ruby threatened.

With that, a young man walked into the light. He had short brown hair, green, weary eyes and a moderately threatening aura.

"Hmm, you're a lot prettier than I imagined." He said to her.

"I...what!? Get serious for a second!" She shouted, her face growing slightly red.

He slumped against a column and crossed his arms "Fine then, I assume you are the temple guardian." The boy proclaimed.

"Yep, the one and only Ruby." She proudly declared, "May I ask who you are now?".

"Name's Tourmaline." The mystery boy replied.

"I take it you are here for the relic aren't you?" Ruby assumed.

"Yeah, I got some people willing to pay big bucks for it. So if you would be so kind as to give it to me?" Tourmaline asked.

"You can't be serious."

"No but it was a good try. So how about this? Give me the relic now and I won't have to hurt you." Tourmaline said, in a threatening tone.

"No offense, but you aren't exactly threatening. Besides," Ruby's back glowed, as two swords materialized behind her. Their shape made it look like she just grew wings, becoming an angel of death. "you don't seem to have the skill to take me on either."

As she said this, his knees began to glow. Light enveloped his feet and formed a metallic shoe. On the front, a large blade sprung up and on the back, a curved blade materialized.

"Wait? You're a gem too?" Ruby asked, moderately puzzled.

"Yes because soooo many humans name their sons Tourmaline." Tourmaline responded sarcastically.

Ruby pouted, and said "Then why are you coming here? It's our duty to defend the land."

"I only follow my own path. I don't plan on protecting anything anytime soon. I'm here for myself, that's how it always was and that's how it always will be." Tourmaline replied.

She felt a sudden rush of anger towards the arrogant boy. Does he see himself being above their own customs? He can do what he wants? He can be such a jerk to her and get away with it?

"Where do you think that path is leading you?" She asked.

"To my next meal or next objective." He responded.

"So if I beat you here, what happens then?"

"Oh please, let's be realistic here sweetheart. I think I have a few decades of experience ahead of you." Tourmaline replied smugly.

Ruby frowned, flustered by the young boy's comment. Her face turning slightly red, she grit her teeth and barked a comeback.

"Well prove it then!" She said as she charged towards Tourmaline, swords in hand.

She swung the two swords together in a scissor like motion, attempting to cleave the pestering thief in two. The blades were about to connect to his abdomen, but he leaped up and landed on her swords. Dumbfounded by this, she had little time to react to his counterattack. She managed to barely block a sweeping kick from him, being knocked into a wall.

"Not bad, most people have their neck's sliced open before they can blink." Tourmaline gloated.

"Do you ever shut up?" Ruby mustered back.

With that, Tourmaline leaped towards the now recovered Ruby. He unleashed a spinning kick, but it was easily blocked and parried by Ruby. Quickly, he dodged the counter attack and leaped off the aggressive girl and gained some distance. However to his surprise, she was already right next to him and unleashed a flurry of slashes at him. Dodging swords wasn't anything new to him, but her style was far different than any other warrior he faced. He could barely keep up with her strikes.

"Man she's fast, can't seem to find an opening. Maybe I have underestimated her." Tourmaline thought to himself, "Wait, her slashes are wide, meaning there is a split second before she strikes me. I just need to get close."

As he thought this, he hit a wall. Pinned down he need to act fast.

"You're dead you crappy smart aleck!" Ruby yelled at him, as she prepared both her blades to strike.

"Now's my chance!" Tourmaline thought.

Quickly, he rushed into her. Their faces right next to each other, they just stared at each other for what felt like eons. Not squandering his chance, he swiftly got behind her and grabbed her waist. With a heave, he lifted her off the ground and delivered a severe suplex. The wooden planks underneath them splintered and broke due to the huge impact.

"Well that settles that, now onto the relic." Tourmaline thought to himself, as he swaggered along towards what appeared to be the relic. He reached into the dark box on the bench where Ruby was once sitting and pulled out a small idol.

"This the relic? Looks more like an antique than a mystical ite-".

Tourmaline's thought cut short as he sensed something being thrown at him. He turned around and barely dodged the spinning blade, it's tip slicing through his cheek. Before he could even comprehend what was going on, Ruby rushed him, slashing his chest, returning Tourmaline back to reality. He dodged the second one and managed to kick her away, slicing her arm open in the process.

"Your persistence is annoying." Tourmaline hissed at her, "Just stay down, you know you are not a match for me."

"Says the man with a huge gash in his chest." Ruby replied scornfully.

"This coming from the girl spitting out splinters." Tourmaline shot back.

"Shut it you no good thief!" She shouted as she got back to her feet, "Do you even know what that idol is here for? It's a deterrent, it makes gem beasts and other monsters stay away from this town. Do you even care about the people? What do you think will happen to them if you steal that!?"

"...and this is supposed to affect me." Tourmaline said morbidly.

She just stared at him, in utter disbelief of his resentment.

"So what if a few centibeetles or whatever come here. It would do the world good if some people got killed." He said.

"Wha...How could you even think that!? We are crystal gems! It's our duty to defend humans from these beasts! Does that mean nothing to you!?" She screamed at him.

"Humans...why should I care about humans?" He asked, Ruby's anger growing ever stronger, "Humans are nothing but cattle, moving on and on, breeding more and more until they will starve themselves out."

"How dare you!" She screamed, leaping to strike with her blades.

Tourmaline noticed her attack and parried, throwing her out through a window and into the snowy yard outside. Shards of glass and small droplets of red littered the pure white snow. Tourmaline leaped down in front of her, looking down upon her as so many did to him in his lifetime.

"You feel it? This feeling of helplessness, anger and hatred? This is what I felt all my life. Every passing human, looking down upon me, labeling me as a freak, beating me for their amusement. Why should I defend a race that scorns me for my very existence?" He asked solemnly.

Suddenly, Ruby's rage quieted. She simply stared at him in shock. She grew up in the streets for some of her early life. She knew of this kind of treatment, she saw how people can act towards others. But she met a man, a man whose kindness and gentle heart showed her the good side of humanity. She was stunned, never before has she met a person who has seen only the darkness of man.

"All my life, I have seen the evils of man. I've been hired to kill drug lords, leaders in human trafficking, mass murderers and warmongers, all to benefit some other human. They constantly kill each other, reproduce and kill each other once more. Many pointless wars, all in the name of proving who is superior. Human's are such...selfish creatures. They are only interested in themselves, killing off anything that they consider inferior and destroy the environments that this world has sprung to life just for their own benefit. They claim they are about compassion and that they care for each other, yet this is nothing but trite. The human race cannot live without conflict, and that is why I have forsaken them." Tourmaline said.

"I...I…" Ruby stuttered.

"Now you see the world for what it is...a shallow place where humans decide what is right and what is wrong." He said, walking towards the forest, "You will thank me for this."

"I...You're wrong!" She shouted at him. Curious, he turned around to see Ruby standing up in the snow, her fists clenched with an angry expression on her face.

"Humans aren't selfish! A human took me in when I had nothing. He protected me, he taught me everything, he treated me like his own daughter! I met other humans, they liked me. They became friends with me, and I became friends with them! I don't know what twisted world you lived in to see people as...those vile things you described, but people aren't like that!" She shouted at him, shaking with a renewed anger.

"Hmph, and what of this kindness? What has it brought you? A simple job, guarding this statue for eternity." He said as he held the idol up.

"I'm protecting that of my own free will, because I care about my people. All you care about is yourself!" She shouted.

Tourmaline stood there, silent. He looked down, his eyes shifting away from the young girl.

"Guess I was right...you're nothing but a selfish bastard. You don't care who you have to hurt as long as you can live comfortably right?" She said with disgust, "You're repulsive, you greedy monster."

"...I never said that I cared about myself." Tourmaline admitted.

Ruby's expression loosened up, her eyes filled with rage and disgust now slowly filled with empathy.

"I only live to show the world how selfish and corrupt it is. If I were to die tomorrow, I wouldn't care. My only purpose is to kill for other's benefits. Every child grows up believing in something, that they have hopes and dreams of becoming something great. The humans robbed me of my hopes and dreams, and left me as this empty husk." He said somberly.

"I...don't know what to say." Ruby responded timidly.

"Then don't speak, draw your weapon and come at me. Violence is the only thing I can truly understand."

Reluctantly, she grabbed her swords from out of the snow and dashed towards him. He dashed towards her and they began to exchange blow after blow, strike after strike. They moved about the snowy field in a flurry of slashes, spreading red and green blood over the battlefield. As this went on, Tourmaline was suffering more damage than his opponent.

"What is this? Am I slowing down? Am I showing mercy to her? Or perhaps I've finally lost the will to fight." He thought to himself.

With a swift kick, he slashed his foe across the chest, but it wasn't enough to stop her final strike. Her two blades crossing his flesh, he felt himself being knocked away as he flew through the air and slammed against a from blood loss and that final strike, he slumped down and gave up.

"So much for my break. Seems as though I've reached my end." He admitted to the now victorious Ruby.

She stood over him, swords in hand, covered in his blood and her own from various gashes and blisters. "Give me the idol." She demanded.

Wearily, he reached into his pocket and gave the idol back to her. She snatched from his hand and began to walk away.

"Hey...where do you think you are going?" He asked her.

"To return this to it's rightful place, you limp away and be miserable." She replied hatefully.

"Heh, you think I can return to my client like this? I've been disgraced. I've finally lost. I can't ever show myself again. So if you are such a paragon of kindness, why don't you do me a favor and finish me off?" He said.

She stopped immediately, her eyes widened as she turned back to see her defeated adversary, begging for death.

"What's the matter? You hate me don't you? So it would give you nothing but pleasure to just see me gone forever. You have the tools to do it and I'm not resisting, so do it." He said louder.

She began to walk towards him, one sword in hand.

"There you go, you see what this world has done to us? Crystal gems, killing each other for their own causes. It's our fault really, we let the humans corrupt us, follow their ways. I for one don't think I can stand it anymore, so end it for me. I'm done fighting and I'm done making others suffer for others' benefit." He said even louder.

She was standing above him, her hands shaking, he looked up to her, and saw pure rage in her eyes.

"Stop making me repeat myself, DO IT!" He shouted at her.

Raising the sword, she lifted it up and thrust it downwards. Tourmaline closed his eyes, accepting his fate. A loud thunk was heard, Tourmaline opened his eyes and saw Ruby's sword next to him, stuck in the ground next to him. He looked up at he and she immediately punched him in the face. Surprised by this, he looked upon her, shocked and not sure what is going on.

"Don't you beg for death...because it won't solve anything! Killing you won't do me any good. All it will do is make me feel terrible for having to kill my own kind. You say that humans are evil but they aren't. Sure there are some bad ones, but most of them care for each other. They help each other develop and become stronger. Even the selfish ones have others that care for them." She said.

As she finished her sentence, she dropped to her knees. She was on top of Tourmaline, her arms against the tree and looking straight into his eyes, their faces a mere few inches away from each other.

"Violence...won't solve anything." She said as her voice got weary, "Only...caring for...one another...can...end...hatred."

Ruby's head slumped against Tourmaline's chest, she was out cold from blood loss. If he wanted, he could simply take the idol and run. But for some reason...Tourmaline didn't run. He didn't decide to take the selfish path this one time. He simply sighed, and got up, carrying the unconscious Ruby back towards the temple.

"Now things get complicated." He uttered to himself.

Ruby awoke in on the temple alter. Her sudden rise led to a sharp pain in her abdomen. As she looked down, she saw that someone had treated her wounds. Being a gem she had the gift of an increased healing factor, but the pain was still there. She quickly turned to the chest and opened it with shaky hands. The idol was back in it's rightful place.

"What...did he put it back?" She thought to herself.

Without hesitation, she rose to her feet, cringing in pain. She walked as fast as she could to exit the temple, knowing she had to find him. She had to know why. As she opened the door leading outside, she saw a trail of footsteps in the snow…and some drops of green blood.

"No…that idiot didn't go off without treating his wounds!?" She thought.

Her walk turned into a light run, the sharp pain in her legs increasing even more. Still she followed the trail to what she assumed would be Tourmaline. After a trek through town, she found herself going in towards an alley with a large dumpster. As she walked forward, she heard wheezing. She crept closer and closer, following the steps to what appeared to be their end. She looked around the dumpster and instant horror rushed through her body. She found Tourmaline, but not as she hoped. He was leaning against the wall, new wounds that didn't bleed and eyes shut. She dropped to her knees in pure terror and let out a wail.

"..."

"What did you do, you idiot!? What did you do!? Act like the hero!? Do one final good deed for redemption!? WHY!?" She screamed, hitting the lifeless body's chest.

It was then that Tourmaline made a noise.

"Wha-What?" Ruby said, tears welling in her eyes.

"You don't have to shout...I'll explain later." Tourmaline said, exhausted.

She looked into his eyes once more, and embraced him. Sobbing softly, a rush of relief flowing through her, she carried him back to the temple.

Back at the temple, Ruby treated Tourmaline's wounds as he did for her. He was in far worse condition than she estimated. It's amazing that he survived, even if he was a gem. The two sat across from each other, eyes meeting. Tourmaline broke the silence.

"You don't have to worry about the idol anymore." He declared, "The man who hired me and any of his connections are dead. This place will remain safe now."

Her eyes widened. She wasn't sure what to say.

"Why…why would you do this for me?" She asked.

". . . I'm tired of it." He said, his voice growing more somber, "I'm tired of the bloodshed, the violence, seeing the hatred of man. I'm done being a mercenary, the fight last night made me realize how terrible I've been. I've lived this life for centuries, and not once have I questioned my role in life. Now, I see what others think. Compassion, empathy, all traits I never thought I would feel, now flowing into me. So I decided to go on one more killing spree, ensuring that I will never be hired again. Plus I had to repay you, for showing me mercy."

"So the idol is safe now?" She asked.

"Yes, I doubt anyone else would want to take it." He responded.

She let out a sigh of relief. The threat to her people was gone and now she could rest easy. As she felt this feeling of relief, Tourmaline got up and walked towards the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" She asked.

"I don't know, to see the world for what it really is I guess." he responded, "To find if kindness does exist elsewhere in this world."

He turned and slowly made his way to the door. Conflicted, Ruby held her hand to her chest and decided on what she wanted. If she let him leave, she may never see him again, but if she went with him, what would they do? She thought hard as she could for the small amount of time she had. As he opened the door, she stood up.

"Wait!" She shouted.

Tourmaline looked back at her, she was walking towards him.

"Let me come with you." She said.

"You…want to join me?" He said.

"Yes, I've decided that you need my help with this. I've seen all kinds of people, both good and bad, so I have more experience than you." She explained, now in front of him, looking up at his face. "Let me help you more."

"But…what about your temple?" He asked.

"You said it yourself, there is no threat to it now. In fact, you were the first person to try to attack the idol…ever." She admitted.

"So you just stood there for decades just waiting for something to happen?" He asked.

She blushed slightly, ". . . Shut up!".

"Alright then, we should be fine for a trip around the world." He said.

"Wait, I thought you said that you depended on this last job for a break?" She questioned.

"Yes, a break. I just wanted a break from the usual until my next job came along. I just accept jobs as requests come in. I could retire for the rest of my life with the money I've accumulated over the years." He proudly admitted.

Ruby just stood there, shocked at this new information.

"Is this guy for real?" She thought to herself.

The two gems opened the doors to the temple and walked outside together. Tourmaline looked towards the frozen sea and smiled.

"Hey, you can smile! It's kind of cute too." She teased.

"Hmph, I was about to say the same to you beautiful." He shot back.

Flustered, she turned away for a small second and looked back at him.

"So where are we going?" She asked.

"Lets try across the sea. See what adventures we can find in another land." He suggested.

"Sounds good to me, partner." She said gleefully as she lightly punched his arm.

"Huh, never really had a partner before." He said.

She smiled at him and he smiled back, and the two gems set off on their quest for adventure.

The room was splattered red and the smell of blood filled the air. Topaz walked silently, looking at the shredded corpses. He frowned to himself, refusing to believe what happened.

"I know you're still alive Tourmaline." He said to himself, "And I will not rest until I see you suffer."

He summoned his weapons, two sai made of gold topaz. He kicked a corpse of a middle-aged man up and stabbed 1,000 holes into it before it could hit the ground.

"A mercenary never turns on his boss. You have committed the ultimate crime and for that, you will die." He said aloud.

He walked out of the nightmarish room and onto the streets. He had a lot of work to do in order to track him down.

End of Story 1


End file.
